Idioms – Money

Hey, guys!

Everybody knows the importance of learning some idioms and colloquial expressions, especially when you live in a foreign country. We always learn a lot of them by communicating with native speakers or watching movies and series. In this section, you learn some idioms and expressions to communicate in a more natural way when speaking English in a foreign country.

Here are a few Idioms related to the topic Money.

* To cost an arm and a leg – very expensive (custar o olho da cara)

This car cost an arm and a leg but it was worth it.

* Down the drain – when money or time is wasted (pelo ralo abaixo)

Millions of dollars have gone down the drain with the last government.

* Feel the pinch – experience the effects of having less money (sentir dificuldades financeiras)

Customers have felt the pinch of higher gasoline prices.

* Have deep pockets – when a person has a lot of money (cheio da grana)

He comes from a rich family and always had deep pockets.

* In the red – to owe money to the bank, to be in financial trouble (no vermelho)

It’s not even the end of the month and I’m already in the red.

* Make ends meet – to pay for the things you need in life (pagar as contas, se manter financeiramente)

It’s hard to make ends meet with the current economic situation.

* On a shoestring – with a very small amount of money (com o orçamento apertado)

Both films were made on a shoestring budget.

* Out of pocket – to have no money or pay something by yourself (estar sem dinheiro ou pagar do próprio bolso)

I’m still out of pocket.

Are you paying for everything out of your pocket?

* To be rolling in it / be rolling in money – to be very rich (estar nadando no dinheiro / estar montado na grana)

Her parents are rolling in money now, they won the lottery last week.

* A small fortune – a very large amount of money (uma pequena fortuna)

Traders ask for a small fortune for it. 

* There’s no such thing as a free lunch – you can’t expect to get things for nothing (nada é de graça)

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, if you want something, you have to work for it.

* To tighten your belt – to make an effort to spend less money (apertar o cinto)

We need to tighten the belt this month or we won’t be able to buy what we need. 

 

I hope you learned some new idioms today, see you next time!